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Train Rides
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Things to do in Sedona |
Few sounds inspire the human brain with the romantic notion of travel quite like that of a moving train. And inspired you shall be by the train rides awaiting you in the Sedona area! Travel back in time and space to a land where Indians roamed, where cowboys and outlaws lived their rowdy lives of freedom, where the West loomed as a yet uncharted territory of dangers and allures alike. Let your soul fall into step with the rhythm of its great iron wheels and experience these lands like it was 1910!
For a list of train options, click here, Train Rides
 The Verde Canyon Railroad
Steaming from Clarkdale to Perkinsville, the Verde Canyon Railroad is a mellow wilderness adventure…from a railway car, and at the breakneck pace of 12 mph. Board this wonderfully scenic ride in Clarkdale, just 45 minutes west of Sedona, and let the train tracks lead you along the Verde River and through its magnificently rough canyons.
This 38-mile stretch of the Verde Canyon railroad was constructed in just one year in 1911-1912 to serve the then bustling copper mining town of Jerome. The train passes along towering crimson pinnacles; it takes you near ancient Indian ruins, over fortified trestles; past a monocline fault and through a manmade 680-foot tunnel on a four-hour journey from the old mining town of Clarkdale to the Perkinsville ghost ranch and back. Enjoy the spectacular rock faces and dramatic panoramic views of these rough desert lands once gazed upon by miners and adventurers, watch for bald eagles and mountain lions, and imagine yourself on this ride 100 years ago. For back then, the train´s motto held just as true as today: It´s not the destination – it´s the journey.
 The Grand Canyon Railroad
When the Grand Canyon Railway was completed in 1901, travelers possessing the adequate leisure and appropriate funds could venture to the fabled Grand Canyon in relative comfort. Prior to the completion of the tracks, the only option available had been a bone-jarring 12-hour stagecoach ride from Flagstaff.
In the late 1880s, Grand Canyon country was a distant, almost forbidden land for non-native travelers. Early pioneers and mountain men actually steered clear of the area due to the rugged terrain and lack of available water. Only the most adventurous would rough the elements to explore this remote location in northern Arizona. But Americans were on the move and going west. American ingenuity was hard at work in the form of the railroads, which expanded and connected the nation simultaneously. One of the main railroad lines west connected Chicago to Los Angeles, and it passed through Williams, Arizona, just 25 miles (40 km) west of Flagstaff. On September 17, 1901, Grand Canyon Railway commenced its maiden voyage from Williams to the Grand Canyon.
Today, the Grand Canyon Railway carries well over 200,000 people to the Grand Canyon each year. As the train rolls steadily through the Juniper and Pine trees of the Colorado plateau, relive its exciting past en route to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. |
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